Musical wind instrument



Sept. 2, 1952 c. LlSl ET AL MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1948 s m m w 0 Tu A s N s T A N En Fm W 0 G C UB FIGA FIG 2 Sept. 2, 1952 Filed Jan. 9, 1948 c. LlSl ET AL 2,608,899

MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENT 2 SHEETS--SHEET 2 FIG-5 19 22 2 O O 19 g 2a 7 H 20' PIC-A3 FIG. 9 1a m 16 19 INVENTORS COSIMO LlSl UGQ EAsAcQIA r Patented Sept. 2, 1952 I UNITED/STATES PATENT OFFICE A Application January 9, 1948, Serial No. 1,34

In Italy January 11, 1947 This invention relates to wind instruments, more-particularly to the control device for the air paths, said control being effected'by means of valves mounted for axial displacement in a casing, the axes of said valves being arranged parallel to one another in the vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry of said casing.

An object of this invention is to provide a compact windinstrument without any elements protruding laterally from said plane of symmetry, by'incorporating at least one of the valve slides into its associated control valve.

A further object of this invention is to provide in a wind instrument of the character specified above a valve slide incorporated into its associated valve, made up of two telescoping parts, means being provided for adjusting from the outside the length of said valve slide.

A further object of this invention is to provide a Wind instrument of the type comprising three valves and three valve slides controlled by said valves, in which the shortest valve slide is incorporated into the intermediate valve, while the other two valve slides are fitted coaxially to the opposed ends of the casing enclosingthe valves and are symmetrically arranged with respect to the longitudinal vertical plane containing the valve axes.

A further object of this invention is to provide in an instrument of the type specified above, valveslides in the form of tubes of oval section or twin tubes in order to decrease in height the inlet and outlet ports of said valve slides in the direction of movement of the valves, thereby reducing the stroke of said valves for switching over the various valve slides.

The invention will be better understood from the following description and drawings referred to therein, in which:

1 Figure In a front elevation, partly in section, showing a unit with piston pumps for the control of the wind pipes;

Figures 2 and 3 are an end, elevation and a view from above, respectively;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the invention in connection with a control unit of the type mentioned in the premises;

Figure 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of a conventional control unit embodying plugs rotatable within a socket;

Figures 6 and 7 are a cross section and a plan view showing the use of flattened tubes in connection with the unit shown in Fig. 5;

Figure 8 shows the switch-over plug;

Figure 9 is a plan view showing the twin pipe construction.

.8 Claims. (01. s4-sss) In the construction shown in Figures 1 to 3, l denotes the single round pipe extending from the mouth-piece of the instrument and 2 is the coaxial p p xt nding to the bell. The pipes l and 2 are bifurcated into two pipes l, 2', respectively, of smallerdiameter, but of which the area as a whole equals the area of pipes l and 2. The twin pipes l, 2 end at pairs of holes bored at the opposite ends of the casing 3 of the valves, having in its inside intermediate walls 4 form: ing the seatings in which move the valves 5, 6, I pushed upwardly by springs l0 and stopping in their position of rest against the cover 3'. In the walls 4 are bored pairs of holes 8 and 9 in alignment with the pairs of twin pipes I, 2' with which the pairs of transverse twin pipes 5', 6', 1 located within the various valves are aligned in their inoperative position, so that direct communication is established between pipes I and 2. Two of the usual valve slides a. and b more particularly a full length and a mean length one are arranged at theopposite ends of the casing 3 and when they are connected in the circuit, they serve for varying the pitch of the sound emitted by the instrument. These valve slides are similarly in the form of twin pipes l I and l I and end each at four holes I2 and i2 bored in the wall of the casing 3. The third and shorter valve slide 0, still in the form of twin pipes l3, I3a, is arranged within the intermediate valve slide 6. I The'portion [3a. of this valve slideisslidable on the stationary portions which ends below at holes cut in the wall of the valve 6, while the slidable portion is fixedly connected with a screw-threaded plug [4 screwed in a centraltapped bore in the end knob I 5, which is rotatably mounted, but kept against displacement, at the topof valve 6. Such an arrangement by which the shortest valve slide 0 is incorporated in the valve 6' by which it is controlled, sharply distinguishes overthe arrangements used heretofore, in which the valve slide arranged externally of the casing 3, is, like the other, rather cumbersome. Moreover, the possibility of micrometric adjustment of its length from the outsidepermits sharp tuning of the instrument. The valve slides in the form of twin tubes are symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the middle transverse plane containing the valve axes. The valves 5 and 1 are formed with inner passages [6 of S-shape and semicircular passages [1, all in the former twin tubes.

The device operates as follows:

When all the valves are at rest, 1. e., in their lifted position, the wind follows the direct path through passages 5, 6, 1. When a valve, for

sausa e instance the valve 5, is lowered, the associated valve slide a is connected, for the passages l1 establish communication between the twin tubes 1' and inlet to the valve slide a and passages l6 establish communication between the outlet of the valve slide and holes 8, as clearly shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. Through the adoption of twin tubes, each of a considerably smaller diameter than a single conventional tube, the piston stroke is reduced to about one half.

Figure 4. shows the use of the invention in connection with flattened single tube construction.

In said figures the flattened pipes are denoted by a, i a. 7

It will be obvious that this invention is not lim ited to the arrangements described above and shown in the accompanying drawing, but may be modified with respect thereof within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. In a wind-instrument the combination with a main conduit and a valve controlling said main conduit, of a valve slide seated in the recess in said valve, the inlet and outlet openings of said valve slide being arranged so as to be inserted into the main conduit when the valve is lowered.

2. In a wind-instrument the combination with a main conduit, and a valve controlling said main conduit, of a valve slide seated in said valve and comprising two parts telescopically connected together, one of saidparts being fixed and having its inlet and outlet openings arranged in such manner as to be inserted into said main conduit when the valve is lowered, while the other part is mounted in said valve for axialdisplacement for adjusting said valve slide in length.

3. In a wind-instrument of a mouth-tube, a bell tube, a plurality of valves, a casing in which said valves are mounted, twin pipes connected to said mouth tube and bell tube, respectively, said twin pipes being fixed to opposite sides of said casing for connecting said mouth tube and bell tube together through twin conduits in said valves, when said valves are in raised position, a long twin valve slide secured to said casing over said mouth tube, a second twin valve slide connected to the casing over said bell tube, said twin valve slides bein'g controll'ed by the terminal valves, a third shorter 'twin valve slide seated in the intermediate valve, said twin valve slides being connected between the mouth tube and bell tube, when thelr'ass'ociated valve is depressed, the twin pipes, twin 'valve slides, mouth tube and bell tube being symmetrically arranged with respect to the vertical axis extending through the axes of said valves.

4. Wind-instrument as claimed in claim 3, in which the shorter twin valve slide seated in the intermediate valve is made up of two telescoping stationary and movable portions, respectively, and in which means are provided for adjusting the position of said movable portion.

5. Wind instrument as claimed in claim 3, in which the shorter twin valve slide, seated in the intermediate valve, is made up of two stationary and movable portions, respectively, and in which a rotatable button is fitted on the outer end of said intermediate valve and kept against axial displacement, said button having a screwthreaded axial bore engaging a screw-threaded pin fast'with said movable portion.

6. Wind instrument comprising in combination with three valves, a casing in which said valves are mounted with their axes parallel to one another situated in the vertical plane of symmetry, a mouth-tube and a bell tube arranged coaxial in the lower portion of said casing the axes of said tubes being situated in said plane of symmetry, a valve slide secured to one end of said casing, a second valve slide secured to the other end of said casing, said valve slides having their axes arranged symmetrically with respect to said plane of symmetry, a third valve slide mounted in the intermediate valve so asto be inserted between the said mouth and bell tube when the valve is lowered. V I

'7. In a wind-instrument a mouth-tube, a bell tube, a plurality of valves, a casing in which said valves are mounted, oval pipes connected to said mouth-tube and bell tube, respectively, said oval pipes being fixed to opposite sides of said casing for connecting said mouth-tubeand bell tube together through oval conduits in said valves, when said valves are in raised position, a long oval valve slide secured to said casing over said mouth-tube, a second oval valve slide connected to the casing over said bell tube, said oval valve slides being controlled by the terminal valves, a third shorter oval valve slide seated in the intermediate valve, said oval valve slides being connected between the mouth-tube and bell tube, when their associated valve is depressed, the oval pipe, oval valve slides, mouth-tube and bell tube being symmetrically arranged with'respect to the vertical axis extending through the axes of said valves. r

8. Wind-instrument as claimed in claim 7, in which the shorter oval valve slide seated in the intermediate valve is made up of two telescoping stationary and movable portions, respectively, and in which means are provided for adjusting the position of said movable portion: v M I reg nts IS '.-v I UGQ CASACCIA.

ItI'fi 'ERE"NEYES r J The following/references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENT-s Number Name I 4 Date 935,626 Ilockharte Sept.'2$, 1909 1,277,013 White is Aug. 121-, 1918 2,146,967 I Loomis l-l Feb. 14, 1939 FoRE-IGN PATENTS Number 7 Country 7 k Date 114,573 Austria Oct. 10, 1929 

